Topic Descriptions
Employment and Labor
Includes legislation relating to collective bargaining, employment policies, officer hiring requirements, residency restrictions, diversity hiring provisions, pension penalties and other related topics.
Officer Safety and Wellbeing
Includes legislation authorizing or encouraging peer counseling initiatives, mental health screening and support for officers, enhanced penalties for crimes against officers and related provisions.
Investigations and Discipline
Includes legislation regulating departmental and independent investigations into critical incidents, mandated disciplinary action, disciplinary procedures, including Law Enforcement Officer Bill of Rights,* authorized disciplinary actions and provisions restricting or providing access to disciplinary records.
Executive Orders
Includes significant actions on law enforcement policy as they relate to the other topics in this database. Executive orders may relate to other topics in this database but will only be tagged as executive orders
Oversight
Includes legislation authorizing, regulating or supporting law enforcement oversight bodies, including civilian oversight boards, entities that review or recommend law enforcement policy and time-limited task forces or study committees.
Data and Transparency
Includes legislation creating or modifying data collection, tracking and reporting; and record transparency requirements.
Policing Alternatives and Collaboration
Includes legislation authorizing and funding alternative responses for law enforcement, including collaborations with behavioral health, medical and social services professionals.
Technology
Includes legislation authorizing, regulating and prohibiting the use of technology for law enforcement purposes, including police-worn body cameras, facial recognition and others.
Certification
Includes legislation that requires certification or changes certification requirements.
Decertification
Includes legislation that related to creation of new or changes to existing requirements or reasons for officer decertification, and certification suspension. Also includes all tracking and data related to officer decertification.
Standards
Includes legislation that requires department adoption of policies, provides for review of department policies or establishes statewide standards or guidance for law enforcement officer conduct or operations.
Training
Includes legislation that requires initial training for certification and reoccurring training on a number of topics including use of force, de-escalation, interactions with individuals with serious mental illness, bias reduction and responses to certain offenses such as domestic violence, sex crimes and hate crimes.
Use of Force
Includes legislation regulating use of force, including deadly force, excessive force, less lethal force, duty to intervene, duty to report, legal duties and liabilities including changes to qualified immunity, and regulation of specific types of force such as chokeholds or tear gas.
Other Issues
Includes other significant law enforcement bills, including crimes of bias intimidation, false reports to law enforcement, restrictions on participating in the 1033 federal excess property program, civil actions, regulation of warrants and state-local funding.
*Some state Law Enforcement Officers Bills of Rights go beyond the scope of investigations and discipline. Any bills that affect these provisions will be categorized based on the content of the legislation and not necessarily included in this category.